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Understanding Transition Violence: African Cases in Comparative Perspective
Unformatted Document Text:  VIOLENCE AND WAR-TO-PEACE TRANSITIONS: A SECOND LOOK AT THE ‘SPOILER’ DEBATE IN LIGHT OF AFRICAN CASE STUDIES Marie-Joëlle Zahar Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science Université de Montréal A number of civil war theories take root in observation of African internal conflicts. Most notable in this respect is the notion of spoilers, those actors who use violence to spoil peace. 1 In such settings, spoiling and violence have almost become synonymous. But is this a well-founded amalgam? This paper questions the association between violence and spoiling. Based on the same African cases that served as building blocks for the notion of spoiling, the paper reinterprets the violence that accompanies transitions from war to peace. Violence is a strategy that can be used to many ends. Far from always signifying a systematic opposition to peace, violence can also express the disillusion of various parties towards a truncated process. The argument disentangles violence and spoiling to offer a richer and less static interpretation of the use of force in war-to-peace transitions. We revisit two African conflicts to this end: the wars in Angola and Mozambique. This comparative approach offers a number of advantages, including the ability to tackle cases that include significant variations in the use of violence. We hope to offer a more convincing analysis of the strategies used by the various protagonists of a transition process, an analysis with not only theoretical but also practical significance. 1 . Stephen J. Stedman, 1997, « Spoiler Problems in Peace Processes », International Security, vol. 22, no. 2, pp.

Authors: Zahar, Marie-Joelle.
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VIOLENCE AND WAR-TO-PEACE TRANSITIONS: A SECOND LOOK AT
THE ‘SPOILER’ DEBATE IN LIGHT OF AFRICAN CASE STUDIES
Marie-Joëlle Zahar
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
Université de Montréal
A number of civil war theories take root in observation of African internal conflicts. Most notable
in this respect is the notion of spoilers, those actors who use violence to spoil peace.
In such settings,
spoiling and violence have almost become synonymous. But is this a well-founded amalgam?
This paper questions the association between violence and spoiling. Based on the same African
cases that served as building blocks for the notion of spoiling, the paper reinterprets the violence that
accompanies transitions from war to peace. Violence is a strategy that can be used to many ends. Far from
always signifying a systematic opposition to peace, violence can also express the disillusion of various
parties towards a truncated process. The argument disentangles violence and spoiling to offer a richer and
less static interpretation of the use of force in war-to-peace transitions.
We revisit two African conflicts to this end: the wars in Angola and Mozambique. This
comparative approach offers a number of advantages, including the ability to tackle cases that include
significant variations in the use of violence. We hope to offer a more convincing analysis of the strategies
used by the various protagonists of a transition process, an analysis with not only theoretical but also
practical significance.
1
. Stephen J. Stedman, 1997, « Spoiler Problems in Peace Processes », International Security, vol. 22, no. 2, pp.


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